Mike Daly and the Planets
Mike Daly (born February 22, 1962) is an American singer/songwriter/guitarist and front man for the New Jersey-based indie rock band, Mike Daly & The Planets. The band’s long- delayed, self-titled debut album was released worldwide on Nov. 10, 2017.
Most of Daly’s original material was recorded by his earlier group, Every Damn Day (often shortened to “EDD”). EDD has released two full-length albums and several EPs, gaining airplay on college and satellite radio in the U.S., commercial radio in Spain and state-run radio in Finland.
In late 1990, Daly and guitarist John Reynolds, who were working as music journalists at a New Jersey-based alternative newspaper, The Aquarian Weekly, founded Every Damn Day based on demos of several original songs Daly had recorded using a drum machine. Also enlisted were another co-worker, Keith Lyle, on drums, and bassist Jim Van Sickle, a schoolmate of Daly’s who had been a member of all four of his aforementioned bands. Lyle was replaced after a few rehearsals by Rich Stout, with whom Reynolds had played in a band while both attended Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.
EDD soon became a staple of the Hoboken, New Jersey music scene, appearing frequently at the downtown club Live Tonight! and later Maxwell’s. They also performed in New York City at CBGB, the Hard Rock Café, The Cat Club, Desmond’s Tavern, Kenny’s Castaways, Bond Street Café and the Lion’s Den; in Asbury Park, New Jersey at The Stone Pony and The Fast Lane; Brighton Bar in Long Branch, New Jersey; and The Court Tavern in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Every Damn Day recorded two full-length CDs and several EPs before going on indefinite hiatus in 2007 due to scheduling conflicts. In 2008, EDD was featured on “Beautiful Escape: The Songs of the Posies Revisited” (Burning Sky Records) a 3-CD collection of songs originated by the Seattle alternative rock/power pop group, The Posies. EDD contributed its version of “Help Yourself,” from the Posies’ “Dear 23” album. In 2011, the band reunited for a 20th Anniversary concert in Clifton, New Jersey.
In 2008, Daly embarked on a new recording and performing project, Mike Daly & The Planets, which currently features Jim Van Sickle (bass/organ), Jim “Smitty” Smith (drums), and John Reynolds (lead guitar).
The band’s debut 4-song EP, “The Cosmic Adventures of ManBoy,” was released internationally in August 2010. The Aquarian Weekly selected the EP as its “Disc of The Week” on January 13, 2011, giving it an “A” grade and praising it as “Four songs. 13 minutes. All muscle. Not a second of fat.”
Recording of what was to be a full-length follow-up began in early 2011, during which the band made sporadic live appearances. They made their live debut opening for The Smithereens at Dinizio’s 5th Annual Memorial Day BBQ/Fan Jam in Scotch Plains, New Jersey on May 29, 2011. The band also performed at Soul Kitchen Music Hall in Mobile, Alabama (July 2011) and Maxwell’s in Hoboken, New Jersey (November 2011).
In December 2011, the band released a single, “Kill A Clown (No, Not Really),” in response to the positive reception the song received at their live shows. “Kill A Clown” received airplay from DJ Rich Russo on his “Anything Anything” program on WXPK-FM “The Peak” in New York and WDHA-FM in New Jersey. Russo had asked for a recording of the song after hearing the band perform it at Maxwell’s. The music website Atlas Jams lauded the song as “a delicious slice of power pop … with chunky guitars and perfecto vocals.” Broken Hearted Toy, a music blog, described the song as having “a catchy, guitar-driven arrangement reminiscent of Webb Wilder or possibly ZZ Top … exuberant backup vocals … (and) funny lyrics.”
In 2016, Daly reissued the entire Every Damn Day catalog (most featuring bonus material) on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play and other top digital sites worldwide to celebrate the band’s 25th anniversary.
Three online singles were released worldwide by Mike Daly & The Planets in 2016 and 2017: “Never Too Late,” “Hero’s Trial,” and “Salvation.”
The band was selected for the second consecutive year to perform in November 2017 at the New York segment of the International Pop Overthrow Festival.
All It Takes Is One, by Mike Daly & The Planets
Mike Daly & The Planets Mike Daly & The Planets are a veteran power-pop group based in New Jersey, USA. The band released their debut EP, “The Cosmic Adventures of ManBoy,” in 2010. They made their live debut opening for The Smithereens in 2011. Their self-titled first album was issued in 2017 to rave reviews.
###